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The invention relates to a protection device for manatees. Manatees, also known as xe2x80x9csea cowsxe2x80x9d are most dominant in all of South Florida. More dominant in SW Florida and south Florida and somewhat less in SE Florida.
It is well known that Manatees are a slow moving, gentle and non-agressive animal of the sea that are almost on the endangered species list because of their activities under water. Manatees are not deep water animals but remain mainly at he upper region of any water level. That is, almost at the surface of the water chosen by them. This is so, because the manatees prefer warm water and warm water can almost always be found just at sea level. This is also so, because in cold winter climates, the manatees tend to congregate at inlets where warm water is discharged from power companies into an a channel or estuaries of the bays of SW Florida
It is well known fact that many manatees are injured by boats driven by propellers at slow speed or at high speed. The reason is that manatees are very sluggish in the water and by the time they are aware that a boat (slow or fast) is approaching, they may not have the time to maneuver away so as not to get hit. Getting hit by the bottom the approaching boat normally does not induce much damage, but the high or low speed propeller does most of the damage because the propeller cuts into the outer skin of the manatee causing a substantial amount of damage.
Various restrictions as to speed of the boat and propeller speeds have been placed on the boating public. Such restrictions include speeds of the boat and the propeller. Such speeds are defined at which water craft proceeds fully off plane and is fully settled in their water with no wake created at all. The Coast Guard as well as the U.S. Wildlife Service are concerned with enforcing the above described restrictions and observances in the U.S water ways.
Nevertheless, the boating public Is either unaware, ignorant or deliberately disobeying the above noted restrictions when operating a boat in manatee occupied areas of the waterways and many injuries occur.
Many devices have been installed on boats that are operating in manatee occupied areas of waterways or channels of water to avoid injuring the manatees. One such device is to enclose the propeller completely by a circular shroud that encircles the propeller. This type of device will never result in the propeller blades cutting into the outer skin of a manatee. However, this type of device will negatively impact on the performance of the propeller, because the shroud surrounding the propeller will disturb the water dynamics of the propeller to thereby inhibit its performance.
Another device has been introduced that will push the manatee away from the boat and thereby its propeller. This device consists of a shield that is mounted at about the middle of the bottom of the boat and thereafter flares outwardly to the vicinity of the propeller to thereby push away any manatee that might come into contact with the propeller of the boat and injure the manatee. However, while effective, this installation will not interfere with circumstances when the boat is in shallow waters without a danger of manatees present, the bottom of the boat might ground out on the bottom of the depth of the water.